


Vârcolac

by Akuto



Category: Pick of the Litter (Manga)
Genre: Art To Be Added, Blood, Blood Drinking, Digital Art, F/M, M/M, Mild Gore, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Polyamory, Suggestive Themes, Vampires, Werewolves, possible sexy times
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-07
Updated: 2018-01-30
Packaged: 2018-12-24 23:51:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 15,131
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12023715
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Akuto/pseuds/Akuto
Summary: Riku wakes up to the aftermath of a wicked party entangled in the arms of his old high school buddy Emmett, as well as their quiet classmate Karin. But rather than the romcom shenanigans he expected (or perhaps, in addition to?), Riku finds out that these two just so happen to be creatures of the night! And now that's he's been bitten by both a werewolf and a vampire, none of them know just what to expect.





	1. Oh God

So warm, and close. Hot breath on my neck and in my ear, stirring something up. I can hear my heartbeat quicken, pounding in my ears, blood rushing to my head to cloud my thinking. My conscious mind was drowning in the sensation, the solid ground far from my reach. But I didn’t mind. Briefly I recall (or, just feel?) fingers grasping mine, hands running up and down where they need to, lips, tongues, and teeth… Both comforting and yet also stimulating. It was hard to tell how long I was under for. Time was hard to grasp in the thick of the black and red undertow.

Until a piercing, beeping jingle broke through, each tone bringing me closer and closer to the surface. Before I feel up to opening my eyes just yet, I realize there’s a buzzing at my hip as well and groan. I have to stop it, but my arms feel so heavy. I make the effort anyway.

Wait.

I’m pinned by two bodies pressed against me, suffocating me with their body heat. My right hand’s around someone’s waist, my left buried in like a solid foot of soft hair. Now is probably a good time to take a look…yup, my eyes confirm my other senses. The guy on my right, the one with my hand approximately on his ass, opens his eyes and complains, “You gonna turn that off or what…”

Well, since he asked. I yank my arm out from under him and fish in my pocket for my phone. I’m a little disappointed my sudden movement didn’t trip him up honestly, but he did seem annoyed as I was at being awake so…good enough. I have to squint pretty hard to fight through the LED lit screen and slide the Alarm lock off. It gets a lot more quiet.

Seeing the dimly lit room properly for the first time, the full circumstances bull me over like a wave. We’re in the sleepy guy’s room, propped up uncomfortably against the bed frame instead of… _in_ the bed, like sane people. There are a few beer cans rusting away in the carpet, which would make sense at the scene of a raging college party. Which was where we were, last night.

Emmett (that’s the guy’s name) was the one who threw it, and he invited me when he saw we were in the same business class. We had hung out for a brief time in high school, but to be completely honest I get the feeling it had a bigger impact on him than it did on me. I couldn’t even quite place his name until I had overheard one of the other party-goers mention it, but I did remember him being a cool enough guy.

Emmett yawned big enough to give me a good view of some extraordinarily pointy canines as he scooched over a bit to give me some space. “Man, I think we really overdid it last night. Hope I didn’t get, uh, too weird on ya.”

“Uh.” I had to stall on that. I remembered the party well enough. I didn’t know a lot of people there, so I mostly made awkward chitchat. It was the first time I was old enough to have beer, and I remember being a bit giddy about that. It made conversation go a bit smoother after one or two, but I don’t think it really messed with my head until much later. How much did I even have? Just the thought made my head start pounding a little harder.

But near the end, after everyone had gone home, the three of us talked real late into the night. That last stretch, it’s getting kind of hazy, but I could feel my heart clench just a bit and my blood grow hot. Oh geez, there was definitely something-

“Oh, um,” Emmett started, the edge of his mouth twitching up just a little. I could see him physically fight himself from cracking a smile. “Your fly’s down.”

Goddamn it. It bothers me that I have no idea who’s responsible for that, if anyone. I make my annoyance clear to him with my face and swear-filled mutterings as I quickly remedy that, dislodging my arm from the other body. The girl bonks against my shoulder and finally stirs, wrinkling her brow fiercely at the meager beam of sunlight that had fallen on her face.

“Curtains,” she barks as she pushes herself off me. “Now.”

“We’re all hung over, you don’t have to snap at me,” I grumble, nevertheless climbing over the bed and banishing the last inch of light behind the heavy pieces of cloth. Just from moving I could feel a wave of nausea roll over me, and that light stabbing my eyes didn’t help either.

That was Karin, I think. She was also in our class, an out-of-towner so neither of us really knew her before this. She seemed a lot more shy at the party, but I guess a headache like this can bring the worst out of anyone.

“Okay if I turn on a light then?” asked Emmett, without waiting for an answer. But Karin didn’t object. Room now illuminated with soft electric light, the mess from last night looked even harsher.

“Yeesh, what even happened…” I couldn’t help voicing. “Do you think…like, did something happen between us?”

Despite my vagueness, the tension in the air told me everyone understood what I meant.

Emmett laughed awkwardly. “Well, we definitely made out at least…I remember that much. Didn’t think you’d drink enough to black out _that_ hard.”

“Oh god.” Some images clear up…making out, that definitely fits. I remember… _more_ than eagerly consenting to that. I never thought I’d be that kind of guy, who’d just mack on randos, but I have to admit that a large part of me is pretty elated. After all, they are both very much my type, honestly… “Well if that’s it, I guess-”

“Oh god.”

Is there an echo?

Karin is staring up at me from the floor, bright green eyes widening. “You…I think I bit you.”

Is that all? I reach a hand to my neck, and it is a bit sore. Maybe it’s bruised. “It’s okay, guess I’ll wear a higher collar to class or something-”

She interrupts me again, hopping onto the bed and getting in close to inspect my neck, practically groping my jaw line and shoulder to do so. “Yes…that’s definitely my fault. Riku, I’m so sorry.”

Her voice is starting to shake, and that scares me. I can’t quite see her, but I think she might be crying. “Hey, it’s really no big deal, I’m fine! Hickies happen, and they go away eventually, right Em- what, you too?”

Now Emmett’s on the bed with us, and he nearly bowls me over trying to see the other side of my neck. “Oh god, oh god, oh _fuck_ me…”

This is too much. I shout, “Will both of you _back off_ and just tell me what’s going on? What, am I dying or something?”

The two of them shut up and slowly lean back. They look worriedly at each other, and then at me. It feels like they’re putting together a puzzle that I can’t see, and I’m getting impatient. “Well?”

Karin starts, uncertainly. “What do you remember _exactly_ about last night, Riku? Do you remember what we, er, told you? Our secrets?”

I narrow my eyes. Secrets? If it was before the make-out session, I think I remember… “The party was winding down… We were drinking, obviously, and we talked a lot…” Oh god. “I think I told you I thought you both were cute…and I couldn’t decide which of you I wanted to ask out, or something-”

“P-past that!” Karin’s voice broke. She’s surprisingly innocent, for a college student. In the corner of my eye, I could see Emmett smirking at being called ‘cute’ and I wanted to punch him just a little. “Keep going, do you remember what we said after that?”

“Uh, I’m pretty sure Emmett said something like ‘why not both’. Then he said-” Wait, am I remembering that right? “He said ‘if we’re sharing secrets, you should know before asking me out that I’m a dangerous werewolf’.”

Emmett’s looking both panicked and ashamed, like I’ve confirmed something for him.

“And we all laughed it off, because of course that sounds _insane_.” I emphasize the last word, feeling on edge myself. “Karin even joked that she was a vampire too. And then we joked a lot about dumb sexy tropes in vampire stuff, and talked about biting and well…evidently, one thing led to another.”

Now that I was saying this out loud, everything about last night cleared up. I remembered all of our corny jokes, and every hot, intimate moment…I remember their teeth feeling sharper, more painful at my neck than I was prepared for. I remember how they both drew blood, but suddenly unconcerned as teeth were replaced by tongues and lips and my blood started to boil… They’re still staring at me expectantly, not even cracking any sort of smile.

“What,” I start slowly, “you guys aren’t about to tell me that you weren’t joking, are you? Because honestly, this is kind of a shitty prank.”

Karin shakes her head. There are tears in her eyes. “I’m sorry. It’s not a joke, I’m sorry…”

Emmett’s finding it hard to look at me, and instead turns to Karin. “I only transformed a little…I only nipped him, that doesn’t count, right?”

“Of course it does! You saw what we did to his neck, we both drew blood! That counts.”

“But- but maybe they cancel out? Don’t you think? If I’m a werewolf and you’re a v-vampire…I’m pretty sure we did it, like, simultaneously. So maybe nothing will happen!”

These two are scaring me. “Hey, you are joking, right? This is stupid, of course you are. You don’t have to keep going, it stopped being funny ages ago, so…just stop.”

I _really_ hoped they would just stop there.

Emmett stands up and pulls out his phone. “Okay, I’m looking it up.”

I frown. “Looking _what_ up?”

“What happens when someone gets bitten by both a werewolf and a vampire.”

“Seriously man, just stop. What, are you looking it up on cryptid wikipedia?”

“No, google.”

He spends an agonizingly long time pacing, typing, and scrolling through pages, looking more and more skeptical. “Most of this stuff is coming from rpers…oh my god, this guy’s citing Supernatural as _lore_. I swear, maybe we need a cryptid wiki, it’s impossible to find anything. Karin, what do you think?”

Karin shakes her head again. “I don’t know. I don’t think anything like this has happened before, since vampires and werewolves barely interact at all.”

“Yeah, no kidding,” Emmett sighs. “I wasn’t sure you guys even existed ‘til now.”

“But werewolves, those are fine,” I react dryly. At this point, growing denial and sarcasm is all I have.

He turns to me suddenly, teeth flashing. I can see his abnormally large canines. “ _Yes_ Riku, werewolves are real. I get that this is a lot to believe at once, but you were bitten and we’re trying to _help_ you. So can’t you just trust us for one minute and cut the commentary?”

That’s enough. I’m annoyed, and confused, and my head feels like splitting. Whatever _this_ is, I don’t want to be a part of it anymore. I stand up and push passed Emmett to the door. “I don’t know what you guys are playing at with me, if this is a joke or what, but this is getting fucked up. Next time, don’t invite me-”

Just as my fingers brush the knob, something huge and fast whizzes past my head, slamming into the door to block me. It’s…a hand, large and gnarled, covered in coarse grey fur with sharp, yellowed nails. The hand is attached to a similarly furred, muscular arm and, as I turn, I meet eyes with a hulking beast and freeze in place. It’s face is twisted in pain, gritting sparkling white fangs that feel too close for comfort, and topped with demonic pointed ears. This form caught between man and animal is wearing my old friend’s clothes.

“Oh god…”

The monster blinks and seems to only really see me now, and his features start to soften. I must’ve looked pretty traumatized, because there’s some serious pity in his eyes. But before he can move, his body is suddenly whisked to the ceiling and then drops hard to the ground. Karin is now standing behind him, arm outstretched.

“Sorry about that, it looked like you were going to hurt him.”

The mangled creature on the ground begins to shrink just a bit, the bizarre features melting away in seconds until only Emmett is left.

“Ow…” he moans. “Consider not hurting me too, thanks.”

I’m having trouble finding words. Or thoughts. “Wha…how?”

Emmett sits up, none too worse for wear but rubbing his battered body nonetheless. Again, he doesn’t want to look at me. “Sorry Riku…I reacted without thinking, I shouldn’t have scared you like that.”

“But do you at least believe us now?” asks Karin, who is now just floating on the air super casually. “I don’t like using my powers in front of humans but…that’s probably no longer the case for you.”

My legs feel like jelly. I let them collapse beneath me and slide to the floor. A nervous laugh escapes me…for longer than I’m comfortable describing. “What…What _is_ this? What even are you guys, like really? W-what’s going to happen to me? Am I going to become like that too?”

“H-hey, it’s not that bad!” Emmett says a bit defensively. “I only looked like that because it was a rush job! My real transformation is way better, I can show you-”

He’s interrupted by a rumbling stomach.

“Okay, maybe after lunch.”

“Honestly,” Karin starts, “I think lunch is a good idea. I think Riku might need a break to let the information sink in, and get his thoughts in order. We can pick you up in a couple of hours and talk about it then, does that sound alright?”

“I don’t know,” I reply honestly. Everything’s buzzing so loudly in my head, I’m not sure what’s the right course of action right now. “Is it okay to leave me alone? What if I like…turn or something?”

She gives me a soft, reassuring smile. Now that she’s calmed down, it’s starting to feel like she has a handle on the situation, and it makes me desperately want to trust her. “Werewolves don’t turn until their first full moon, and we won’t know if you’ve taken on any vampirism for about a week. Today, you’ll hopefully be fine.”

Hopefully? That’s the best I’ve got. “I guess that will be fine…”

The two of them escort me to my dorm, having noticed how fatigued I was. They promised me they would pick me up at noon, and something about how gently they’re treating me makes me feel like I’d just been diagnosed with some horrible disease. This leaves me with two hours, just me and my growing worry.

* * *

 

When the knock finally came at my door, I wasn’t sure if it was too soon or not soon enough. I’d spent the last two hours on the couch, staring at the ceiling. It felt kind of dumb, but the first thing I did when I got home was close all the curtains to block out the light. Just in case. I’m not sure how productive it was. Mostly, I just went over Emmett’s transformation and told myself over and over that was _a real thing_ that happened, that I didn’t imagine it. Karin’s telekinesis, that wasn’t a trick either. I didn’t want to think about what might be happening to my body, but I couldn’t help doing mental checks. Like, is my heart supposed to be beating this fast? Or is it just stress?

“Hey!” I heard Emmett’s voice through the door when I didn’t respond right away. “We’re here, you okay for lunch?”

Honestly, it was a relief to hear something other than my own thoughts. Not sure how well I can hold down food right now, but. “Sounds good, hold on.”

I change clothes real quick, just whatever I can find. Something simple as that can be refreshing sometimes. I open the door to see it’s just Emmett by himself. Somehow I don’t think he went through the same effort as I did, but at least his shirt is different.

“Karin’s waiting in the car,” he explained. “Sunlight.”

“Ah.” How did she get in, then?

“Let’s get going then.”

Ever so briefly, I catch him offering his hand to me before pulling back and walking a step ahead of me. Did…did he think I needed help? Or did he just want to hold hands? By the look I caught on his face I think he knows I noticed and now he’s blushing, holy shit that’s kind of cute.

We reach the dorm entrance and it’s just one step between me and a harsh wall of sunlight. I hesitate, but Emmett’s not slowing down and I can’t help but keep going. The sun hits my face and…absolutely nothing happens.

“Oh thank god.”

“Huh?”

“Nothing, it’s nothing!”

In a silver sedan I spy Karin willingly sitting middle seat, stoically blocking the sunlight by holding her purse up to the side of her face. How has no one else figured out she’s a vampire yet? Then again, with my pure denial this morning, I can sort of see why “that girl’s obviously a vampire” wouldn’t be a thought most people would have seriously. I join Emmett up front on the passenger side, and she immediately becomes more animated once we’re near.

“Riku, how are you feeling?” she chirps, giving me that soft smile again.

“Not good, to be honest.” Come to think of it, these two seem to be doing way better than me already, despite having the same amount to drink last night. “I’m starting to think I’m more actually sick than hung over.”

“Oh, that’s… Y’know what, let’s pick somewhere to go first!”

Damn it. That was a _sign_ , wasn’t it.

They let me choose. Well, they made me choose, despite my weak protest. I went with McDonald’s: partially because it was close, but mostly because I wanted to punish my body. I mean I’m already sick and also possibly a werepire now, may as well.

When we arrived, Karin quickly stuck a black umbrella out as soon as she opened the door and let it unfurl, effectively blocking the sun the moment it hit her. I couldn’t help noticing that not only was her umbrella the fancy lace kind (does that make it a parasol?), but she was also dressed in a modern, but classy cardigan, skirt, and leggings, making her look like a walking doll. Made me wonder if excellent fashion taste was another vampire power.

Instead I asked, “How do you get away with carrying that with you everywhere?”

Karin smiled brightly and said in a lilting voice, “Isn’t it _so_ bright today? My skin’s pretty sensitive, can’t afford to get sunburned! I sure hope it doesn’t rain later. Hey, don’t you think this goes great with my outfit? Have to keep up my aesthetic, you know!”

She ended with such a smirk, I couldn’t help laughing. “Okay, I think I get it!”

After ordering, we found a table that was pretty isolated from the rest of the place. It was next to one of those decrepit play areas they hadn’t gotten around to dismantling yet, so it was pretty grimy. I only got lots and lots of fries…and an iced tea. Wasn’t sure if I could handle anything else.

“So,” began Karin, sipping on her frozen lemonade, “shall we begin?”

“Might as well,” I relied apprehensively. “I guess…what’s your guys’ _best guess_? What’s gonna happen to me? And if it does happen, what do we do?”

“Well, from what Karin’s told me, you’re cold-like symptoms are right on the money for vampirism,” says Emmett as he pours watery syrup onto a short stack. His lunch consisted of a metric ton of items from the breakfast menu. I wanted to tease him for this, but honestly the hashbrowns are probably the best choice here and I’m so jealous I didn’t think of it. “When I was bitten, I was more… _injured_ than sick.”

Karin nods firmly. “Yes, sudden sickness and fatigue are the first signs right after a bite. Your human body is attempting to fight off the changes your biology is being forced to go through.”

“And…if I can’t fight it off, I become a vampire?” I ask reluctantly.

“Impossible. Vampirism is trained to take other biological organisms and transform them into something like itself. Humans simply aren’t equipped to handle that.”

Sensing the atmosphere had gone chilly, Karin adds a bit quickly, “But this is an unusual case! The lycanthropy might have to compete with the vamperic changes, and they may cancel each other out…”

She pauses, coming to a much darker realization. “Although, I guess in that situation it would be much more likely that the resulting conflict would weaken your body until you die…”

“So _hopefully_ ,” Emmett cuts her off, “and _likely_ , one of the two is going to win out and you’ll be fine!”

“Except I’ll be a creature of the night, possibly succumbing to my baser instincts and killing lots of innocent people,” I couldn’t help pointing out.

“Yeah, think positive!” He passes me a hashbrown patty. Guess he saw me shamelessly eyeing them. “But if you do become one of us, we’ve got your back man. You won’t have to have blood on your hands.”

Karin had managed to recompose herself again. “Yes, we’ll help you any way we can. Vampires are obligated to take those they turn under their wing, as the actions of our juniors are considered our responsibility.”

She smiles, almost shining like a holy figure. “And because we’re friends, of course!”

Jesus. I know I’m still feeling miserable, and the words are kind of corny, but I can’t help feeling overwhelmed. My eyes well up and I quickly try to hide my face.

“Thanks, guys…” I sniffle. “I’m…I’m glad if I have to do this, I’m not alone.”

They hand me napkins and try to comfort me, and I’m able to recover okay. I think an employee saw us, but they probably see this sort of scene a lot and just go back to what they were doing. The weight on my chest has eased just a bit. Actually, I think I’m starting to even feel a bit optimistic?

“So assuming I don’t _die_ , how do we know what’s happened?”

“We definitely won’t know if you’re a wolf until the next full moon at the end of the month,” laughs Emmett. “So just don’t worry about it right now.”

“When the sickness passes in about a week, you’re vamperic transformation should be complete,” adds Karin. “Everything should be fully developed, but the powers of a vampire can be difficult to bring out right away. The quickest way to check would be to touch sunlight.”

Seeing the look on my face, she reassures me.

“We can stand the sun for quite a bit before it kills us, watch…”

Watch? That’s immediately less reassuring.

Before either of us can say anything, Karin stands up and walks up to a nearby beam of light a few feet away. As we both get up to stop her, she sticks her hand into the light and lets it hang. For a few seconds, it seemed like nothing was happening, but then her previously smooth skin started smoking and bubbling like a thick soup. Gritting her teeth so as not to make a sound, face otherwise _completely composed_ , she retracts her hand and shows it to us.

It was all red and blistery, like she had just left it on a hot stove…at least for a second. Her skin reforms before our eyes and becomes taunt and unmarked once again. She smiles brightly yet again, just to rub it in. “See? Only hurts for a minute.”

The fire alarm goes off. Immediately there’s some yelling and a bit of swearing from the kitchen. An employee approaches us in seconds. He has bags under his eyes and a general disposition that says not to waste his time more than necessary (probably from overwork, I know that look well).

“You kids smoking over here?” He says kids, but he’s clearly about our age. “We don’t allow smoking here.”

“No, none of us smoke!” Karin scrambled. “We just, um-”

“Well I really don’t care what your habits are, but I _definitely_ saw smoke from your area. Carrey, you saw that too right?” the employee shouts to Carrey at the register, who nods. “The only smoke that belongs here is on the grill, so unless you can prove it wasn’t you you’re all gonna have to leave.”

We really had no argument for that. They escorted us out, but not before getting our information for a permanent ban. Emmett managed to grab the rest of his hash browns on his way out (which let me remind you, was easily enough for five people), so it wasn’t a total loss. By the time we got back to the car, I still felt bad for causing the guy trouble, but I couldn’t help laughing with the others at least a little.

“Okay, give me your phone,” Emmett ordered me, holding out his hand. “We’re gonna need to keep a close eye on you, so we should exchange numbers.”

“Oh, right! That’s a good idea,” agreed Karin. “Can you please do mine for me, Emmett? I don’t quite remember how to work my phone…”

We both hand our phones over, and I see that hers is a really old brick model. It does have some cute stickers and a bunny phone charm like one might expect, but otherwise it seems seldom used. Is she just bad with technology or…

“Karin, how old are you?” The question pops out of me without meaning to.

She sticks her tongue out at me. “Rude! Just because my family won’t…wouldn’t let me have a smart phone. I’m only…I mean, one hundred and sixty three will sound big to _you_.”

We’re both a bit stunned by that. But I’m really not sure what we were expecting.

“Karin…” Emmett slows his button pressing. “That’s older than both world wars.”

“Yes, I get it, I’m old.” She looks very uncomfortable. “Can we not talk about this now? I’m not exactly ready to relive those memories for you two just yet, if that makes sense.”

“Uh, sure. Sorry…” He passes the phones back. “ _Anyway_ , we’ll just have to stand by and see what happens. If nothing, then great, but if you’re like either one of us we’ll teach you what you need to know, alright Riku?”

“Yeah, I really appreciate it you guys…” Suddenly, I start to feel very nauseous. “Can you take me home now? I don’t want to mess up your car.”

* * *

 

By the time I had gotten home, my illness had been kicked into high gear and I was relegated straight to bed. I slept the whole weekend away, and had woken up in a panic on Monday when I realized class had already started, but a text from Emmett told me that he and Karin had already explained my absence to the teacher. I didn’t like the idea of missing the second week in the term, but they assured me they’d keep me from falling behind.

Every day after class the two of them would bring me homework and notes (including from classes we didn’t share, which I didn’t expect) and we would spend the evening going over them. Karin’s notes were especially helpful, clean and thorough, though there were some strange bits in the margins where she’d written her observations on “human culture”. We had to correct some misconceptions at several points.

Emmett was always trying to push me to eat more, and started making things in my kitchen when I admitted I’d forgotten to. By the middle of the week, he’d also buy me high-calorie snacks daily so I could eat when he wasn’t around. Especially Sprite, which he insisted was “the best for colds”. I didn’t object to that. Even one time when I realized I’d forgotten to feed the cats (which admittedly weren’t really mine, just some strays I’d been illegally taking care of behind the dorms), he insisted I stay put and did it for me. Although based on how eager he was, I’m pretty sure it wasn’t entirely him being altruistic…

And usually after studying, they’d stay and play games until late into the evening. Emmett brought Smash, Mario Party, and Double Dash, and when those got old he’d challenge us to Pokemon battles. Karin never played before, so I lent her my copy of Moon and we made it our mission to get her team battle-ready as soon as possible (she chose Popplio, and seems very satisfied with it). Of course, usually I’d get completely exhausted by this point, so after a match or two they’d continue playing at a lower volume while I slept.

This would’ve felt like an ordinary cold, if it weren’t for the dreams. Like the first night, I’d always be plunged into the warm blackness…but events were clearer and more confusing. There were figures just out of sight, darting to impossible places. Sometimes they chased me, other times I was the one doing the chasing. Over time, the dreams placed more emphasis on the latter. In these dreams, I would feel a strange, ravenous hunger, even if I was on the verge of throwing up an hour earlier. A hunger that couldn’t be tamed with anything, it seemed, and that hollow feeling in my mouth and stomach drove any sense from my head. And sometimes, usually near the end, I caught something. Or I’d be caught, sometimes it’d be hard to tell. We’d roll over one another, nails sinking in, tongues tasting, teeth biting, lips kissing tenderly…it was hard to keep track of who did what. I’d take out a chunk of it with my fangs, and although it would give me a shot of adrenaline every time it wasn’t enough. If anything, the taste would drive me to want more.

Most often I’d lose and that would be it, eaten whole by the strange thing. I’d jerk awake, fever at a high pitch, and if Karin and Emmett were around they’d take notice and I’d have to reassure them I was fine. It was only when I was awake that it sunk in just how deeply horrifying it was to experience.

But once I did win, on the last night of my illness. I remember the moment clearly. I had finally drove my hand into the creature’s chest, deep into the muscle and sinew, and crushed the heart until I could feel it burst between my fingers. I felt the edges of my mouth twist into a wild, fanged grin. More than satisfied with the kill, I was ecstatic to the core. Then, finally, I could see the face of my assailant, only to lay eyes on my own mangled, lifeless body. And that, more than the copious scenes of gore, was enough to snap me awake.

It was, according to my dormant alarm clock, in the very early hours of the morning. I’m physically shaking in the memory of that nightmare, deeply sickened by myself in those last moments. But, I realized, no longer actually sick. Like, at all. Yesterday I could barely get out of bed, but today I felt great, better even. Like I could do back flips all the way to the cafeteria.

So…is this it? I had pushed this moment to the back of my mind all week, but now that I’m here I can feel the dread rising again. I thought to text Emmett and Karin but…I couldn’t stand the idea of waiting for them.

I walk over to the balcony window, which had the curtains drawn since day one. There’s already a bit of morning light peaking its way through the gap at the bottom, which I’m careful not to tread on. Slowly, I pull one curtain to the side just enough to let a slice of sunlight in without it touching me. I then brace myself and hold my hand out into the warmth and…

Nothing.

I stand there for a whole minute, dumbfounded. After all that buildup… I find myself wondering if this was all just a really elaborate prank, but even then there was so much that would be hard to explain. So why?

Cautiously, albeit a bit less so than before, I pull the curtain the rest of the way open and let the sunlight flood my apartment. So far so good. In a rush of determination one could characterize as suicidal, I unlatch the lock on the balcony’s sliding door and step out. Now bathed in the pale morning light, I feel the sheer relief drain the energy from my body and I instinctively grab onto the railing. Somewhere in the back of my mind I feel a bit silly. It’s just the sun, and they did say there was some possibility I would avoid the effects of vampirism, but still. After this week, I’m really just happy I’m not going to burn to death, and I can’t help breaking down to cry just for a bit.


	2. You Have Much To Learn, Young Padawan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Riku can now sunbathe without fear, but that isn't the end of it. Strange developments are now cropping up, and it's up to the three of them to figure out what they mean and how to help Riku control them.

“Oh, hey guys.”

I decided to get my late homework turned in before the others showed up, since it was the weekend once again, but I ended up spotting both Karin and Emmett eating breakfast at one of the campus’ many cafes. The look on their faces once they realized it was me was priceless. Emmett springs from his seat first and physically grabs me at the arms, but it seems he didn’t actually know what he was planning to do with that sudden momentum himself, so he quickly lets go.

“You- You’re okay? You didn’t like,” he (poorly) mimes a fiery explosion with his hands, “y’know?”

“No, I didn’t explode,” I answer dryly, making my way to their table. “I’m feeling great, actually. I walked all the way here, in the sun! Maybe it’s just passed through my system?”

Karin narrows her eyes at me over her chocolaty frappe. “I’m glad you’re okay, but you really should have told us so we could test it together. One wrong move and your whole body could have been on fire, and your apartment too. Even if your body could’ve healed, your clothes and things are very flammable.”

“Ah…I did not think of that.”

“Well, so long as you’re okay I’m happy,” she says between sips. “I would still like to keep an eye on you for a while longer, if that’s okay.”

“And there’s still the full moon to look forward to!” chimed in Emmett through egg and croissant. “Or, uh, dread more likely.”

“I suppose that’s the next logical step,” agreed Karin. She seemed still troubled by something. “You had some bad dreams while you were sick, right Riku? It can be a very telling symptom, do you mind?”

“Um, can that wait?” I request. I get up and head to the counter. “That reminds me, I’m seriously _starving_.”

“Wait, _reminds you_?”

“Unfortunately, yeah! I’ll explain, hold on.”

Before either of them can question me further, I go and ask the student working there for a muffin and some coffee. The moment he turns to get my order, I realize I forgot my wallet back in my room. Damn, that muffin looked good…

“Alright, that’ll be $4.50.”

Ah geez. “Sorry, I forgot my card. Maybe next time.”

I met his eye and…the previously tired-looking student worker was just kind of staring at me funny. Was there something wrong with my face or something? Face flushed, he broke the awkward pause and sputtered out, “Um, that’s okay! It’s on the house.”

“Oh.” Weird guy, but nice gesture. “Cool, thanks man.”

“No prob _lemo_ …” He stretched the last syllable, like he was too nervous to plan what he was saying before he said it and regretting every moment. As he scribbled something on my receipt, he kept going seemingly without knowing how to stop himself. “You know, if you come back during my shift, I can, uh, give you all the muffins you want? Or really anything, not just muffins obviously. Your money’s no good here.”

This is starting to get really uncomfortable. I pick up my free food and my receipt. “Um. No thanks, I’m good. I’m going to go over there now.”

Wow, he looks really crushed by that. I can see him physically deflate as his spirit leaves his body. He tries to laugh it off and fails miserably. “Haha, right, yeah, I get it. See you next time…”

There’s probably not going to be a next time, if I can help it. I glance back briefly as I book it back to my table to see the worker leaned over the counter, head hung, quite likely beating himself over my rejection. I now notice that my receipt has his number scribbled on in black sharpie. What the hell.

Emmett looks up as if sensing my presence and looks at me like…well, pretty much the way he looks at me a lot of the time, _but more intensely_. Words can’t quite describe the sense of awe and wonder he was attempting to impart to me through his expression, and frankly it was really creeping me out. Come to think of it…seemed like the other patrons of the café were also gazing in our direction. Or my direction. Even people passing by in the hall were stopping to look, and whispering to each other.

“Hey, do you want to come sit with us?”

In my distraction, two girls had approached me. One had a spunky air about her, and the other seemed to be trying to minimize her presence by clinging close to her friend. The shy one couldn’t even look at me directly. The spunky one continued.

“My friend and I think you’re pretty cute. Why not chat with us, see if we can’t get to know each other.”

Wow. I mean I’ve never been too down on my appearance or anything, but this is the first time anyone’s approached me like this. And with how everyone’s been acting, I can’t help but think something strange is up. I take a quick look at Emmett, and he’s now pouting so openly at the two girls that I almost let out a laugh.

“S-sorry, it sounds nice, but I’m actually with friends already so…”

The shy one sees Emmett’s expression and says, “That guy seems kind of possessive. You sure you want to be friends with a guy like him? You should just forget him.”

Ouch. Didn’t expect her to cut deep like that.

Spunky girl takes that as an opportunity and slinks an arm around mine. “Yeah, just ditch them! Y’know, we’re going to a party later, I’m sure it’ll be-”

Suddenly there’s Emmett, face a mask of anger. He yanks the spunky girl’s arm away and growls, “Don’t touch him. He doesn’t want to go with you.”

As much as I want to savor the heart-pounding way he’s protecting me (although honestly, I should probably stop him…it’s not cool to hurt anyone without needing to), the sudden movement made me stumble forward and drop my breakfast. Damn it, that was free! I try hopelessly to grab it when…the coffee froze mid-fall. It stayed up for a full second, and then I blinked and it was on the ground. Was I the only one who saw that?

Now Emmett and the spunky girl are fighting, and a crowd is forming. Some are there to watch or mitigate the fight, but a lot of them are crowding around me, asking if they can help me, if they can get me another coffee, if they can get my number… I’m totally overwhelmed, frozen. I have no idea what say to get them to leave.

“Move,” a voice commands. “I need to get through.”

Surprisingly, the crowd complies and makes a path. Karin steps through and walks up to me. She reaches up and slaps both hands around either side of my face and yanks my head down to meet her gaze.

“You need to control it.”

Control it? “I can’t!”

“Then I will do it for you.”

She stares unflinchingly into my eyes, and I’m forced to look back. For a moment all I can see is bright emerald, and I lose track of the world around me. My senses disappear one by one until I feel completely disconnected. After a moment, everything floods back in all at once and it seems like everything’s a bit calmer. The crowd blinks and disperses, some letting me know that they just wanted to make sure everything was okay. There are some red faces and embarrassed looks, but they seem to be back to normal.

Emmett and the spunky girl seem to be completely dazed, but much calmer now. They both apologize to each other repeatedly, and even the shy girl apologized for her comment. When they apologize to me, while they were sincere, they definitely had looked like they weren’t sure what they even saw in me and…yeah, that’s more believable. Even when security showed up and asked us questions, all it took was for Karin to say it was a “simple misunderstanding” for them to leave us alone.

The student worker even gave me a new coffee (much less awkwardly this time, though I did still spy an anxious look or two from him as he-- left).

And finally, we’re alone again.

Emmett starts, “Okay, guess I’ll just ask, what _was_ that?”

I narrow my eyes at him. “You tell me, you were the one acting weird!”

“That wasn’t me! I mean…” He seems frustrated. “It kind of felt like me. Like my feelings were jacked to eleven. Riku, you were like the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen.”

A jolt surged through me. He’s so upfront, it catches me off guard.

“You know, the second most beautiful being you right now.”

I smack his shoulder, hard enough for him to at least pretend that it hurt. He really should stop one sentence earlier. “Too much, dumbass.”

“If you two are done flirting,” Karin interrupts, clearly a little annoyed. “That was mass infatuation. Seduction like that is a vampire ability, one that makes susceptible humans more…willing to warm up to us. But usually our use of the skill isn’t so clumsy.”

I hesitate at the implication. “Don’t suppose that was you, was it.”

“Seduction can only make humans attracted to the user, I can’t use it to direct them to anyone but myself,” she explains.

“Wait, but I’m a werewolf, why do I have to be affected by vampire stuff?” asked Emmett skeptically. “Isn’t it just because I find Riku hot already?”

“Oh my god tone it down.”

Karin smirked. “To vampires, humans and werewolves may as well be the same species. Very few of our abilities will affect you any differently than other humans.”

He’s disappointed by that.

“So you’re saying it was me,” I acknowledge. I remember the floating coffee cup. I try again with the empty cup, with just my thoughts, but of course it just sits there. “But what about the sunlight? You don’t suppose it was a delayed reaction…”

She shakes her head. “I’m positive…if your powers work this effectively in such a short amount of time, then you should have been completely vampire when you woke up. That morning jog should have made ash of you by now, but obviously you’re not.”

“What does that mean, then?”

Karin stretches out of her seat and grabs her umbrella. “Whatever it means, we have some testing to do.”

* * *

 

We make our way deep through the little wooded area on the edge of the campus. Karin says that it’s a place she likes to go to get away from humans: just secluded enough to do most vampire shenanigans without notice, and plenty shaded. The little light that does get through the trees here just dapples the ground in spots. While she needed her umbrella just to walk here, I could travel right out in the open. The only difference I could notice was that the light _was_ noticeably more painful to my eyes, and it made me sleepy, but no fires to be seen.

Karin finds a nice boulder to sit on and idly looks around for something. Then, with a flick of her furled up umbrella, a half dozen stones of varying sizes float up from their resting places and gather into a neat circle in the clearing. Satisfied, she says, “I think telekinesis might be a good place to start. We can’t be sure _which_ powers you have in your state, and telekinesis can be tricky to get a handle of, but it’s straight forward enough. One you’re on your way to mastering this, any more esoteric powers you may have will become a bit easier.”

I frown. “Not to complain but, is this the best we’ve got to figure out what’s going on? Trial and error?”

“I suppose so. I’m afraid my resources are limited, but…” She hesitates. Clearly something’s troubling her. “I’ll try my best to find out more for you. In the meantime, let’s try to at least narrow it down. Try lifting a rock.”

“And I’ll uh…” Emmett’s already distracted, head twitching towards the sound of any woodland creature that happens to skitter within earshot. “Be here for moral support, I guess. Hey, maybe I can throw a rock and you can catch it with your mind!”

“I really don’t think we’re there yet.” And I _really_ don’t want to be catching rocks with my face. “If I need a rock-throwing guy, I’ll call you.”

He seems none to bothered. “Alright, cool. I’ll be over there…definitely _not_ stalking squirrels for my own amusement, if anyone asks.”

And soon enough, it’s just me and Karin. I try to remember what it felt like with the coffee cup, and stretched my hand out to one of the smaller rocks. With _feeling_. But to no avail. Feeling just a bit like a kid playing Luke Skywalker, I ask, “So, any advice Master Yoda?”

She perks up, and suddenly laughter bubbles out of her like a fountain. “Oh, that’s Star Wars right? I know that one!”

She seems genuinely pleased with herself. It’s really cute, but it makes me wonder.

“Yeah, that’s right. You…seem to have a lot of weird knowledge gaps for someone over a hundred and fifty. Like, you must have easily seen it when it first came out, right? Are vampires really that solitary, like in the movies?”

The smile fades from Karin’s face, and I immediately regret bringing it up. “Oh. Well, no, not really. Our survival really depends on our ability to blend in with humans, so keeping up on pop culture is an important skill.”

At this point I’ve already lost interest in the rocks, and make a comfortable seat on the leaf-strewn ground. “So why then, if it’s alright to ask. Are you just bad at keeping up with the times, or…?”

Her cheeks turn pink. “N-no, I don’t think I’m _bad_ at it or anything… You can say my circumstances are different than most other vampires.”

“How so?”

“I’m not sure I can say…”

“I won’t push you…”

“Well, then I’ll just say…” She turns away awkwardly. For one of those few moments, she feels more within reach than I’ve ever seen her. “I guess I was pretty sheltered.”

That sort of raises more questions than it answers. “…For how long?”

Karin pauses for an uncomfortably long time. “Sorry, it’s not really a secret but…I don’t really want to talk about my home life right now.”

Crap, it seems like my prying has only troubled her. I know not knowing will make me worry, but if she’s not ready to talk I’m just going to have to respect that. “It’s alright, I’m sorry. It’s not really my business. Before we start moving rocks though…”

“Hm?”

“Can you teach me how to turn off the, uh, seduction?” I ask sheepishly. “I don’t want to accidentally trigger it in class and have everyone freak out like earlier…especially not my teachers.”

She cracks a smile and snorts. Within a breath, she’s returned her composure. “Okay, so most of our powers are tied to our emotions. You wanted something, and seduction is triggered by desire.”

”What, even for something small like muffins?” I snark.

“Pff- _especially_ muffins!” she grins. Karin takes another breath and closes her eyes, looking positively serene. “The best thing to do in that situation is let go of your desire. It can be as simple as giving yourself a distraction, but I find clearing out your emotions entirely gets the best results no matter which power goes awry. When in doubt, just take a breath and don’t think about anything at all.”

“I see…” I know I can get myself worked up over the small details, so that’s something I’ll have to work on.

Clearly she sees the look of doubt on my face, and offers, “Taking up meditation is probably a good idea for you. With that and practicing your powers every evening you get…you’ll be pretty busy.”

“Right…” I stand up, with renewed determination. At least I have a game plan now, and that’s enough to make me want to give it everything I’ve got. “I’m ready to try again, Master Yoda!”

She giggles. “Alright, young Skywalker!”

There’s a cacophony of twigs and branches snapping as Emmett bursts back into the clearing. In his clawed hand is a struggling squirrel, grasped tightly with care, and he looks unspeakably proud with his catch.

“Got ‘em!”

* * *

 

The sky is a deep orange by the time we call it quits, only breaking for lunch, and not even a pebble was made to tremble before my psychic might. Karin promises me that we’ll keep trying nightly until I get it, but I can’t help feeling I’m not making progress at the rate she wanted. Or how I wanted, for that matter. They offered to take me to dinner, but I wasn’t feeling up for it.

“Thanks, but I think I’m just gonna head home. I’ve got some studying to do, you two have fun.”

Emmett was plainly disappointed and made no effort to hide it, but he let it go right away. “Alright man, if you want.”

Karin regarded me carefully, but didn’t say anything.

We split ways and I walked to the dorms…but decided against it. The thought of settling down in my familiar room made me restless. I had to walk off this energy, and these thoughts. I picked a random direction and kept going until I was well off campus. Down the steep hill was a kids park that I’d see whenever I went into town, and decided it was as good a place as any. The sun was long gone by now, and it was completely deserted. On an impulse, I clambered to the top of one of the play structures and let my legs hang through the bars.

It wasn’t something I talked about a lot, but I was pretty sick as a kid. I couldn’t go outside for much of my childhood, much less visit parks like this like my brothers could. I was…pretty jealous at the time, yeah, but I made due with indoor games. By the time I was able to get out, my childhood was just about over. At that time, I wanted desperately to catch up to everyone else around me, to grow up and prove my worth to my family. That feeling motivated me to give up my free time to the shop, and then get as many scholarships as I could to study business.

Being away from work is a weird feeling. I’m still busy with my studies of course, but now for the first time in a long while I have a bunch of free time I don’t really know what to do with. Time has slowed down for me in a way, letting me think about a lot of things I didn’t really get the chance to before. At least, before all this monster business happened.

I can’t help but frown as a thought enters my head, one of many I’ve been trying to avoid since all this started. Am I going to live forever now? I mean obviously in a way that’s a good thing. I don’t really enjoy considering my own mortality, and of course I don’t enjoy the idea of dying. But the idea of not aging…it honestly kind of freaks me out. Stuck as a young adult, never quite old enough to be taken seriously, but not able to go back either. Never growing or learning or changing. I don’t know how immortality is supposed to go to be honest, but it feels sort of ironic. I was always the youngest, the weakest, and now I might always be the youngest.

Karin said during my training that telekinesis relied on happiness, or more accurately “the feeling you get as a child”. She struggled to come up with anything more specific than that, claiming the way it feels to use any vampire power is best experienced firsthand. She also said powers could work on other feelings too, if they’re strong enough, which is really unhelpful. I couldn’t help wondering if that was a feeling I missed out on, and couldn’t get back.

On the ground right next to the structure I spot a grey lump I hadn’t noticed before. It was a plush toy of a cat some kid must have forgotten. It kind of reminded me of a kitten I used to have when I was sick. I smiled, remembering how she would cheer me up when my brothers were out. Feeling a bit nostalgic, I idly reach for the toy and feel a tug at my heart. The cat toy rose into the air like it was being lifted by an invisible pulley, all the way up until it bumped into my palm. I blink in surprise and instinctively clench my hand around the plush before I lose the feeling.

“That was easy,” I breathe, feeling more and more giddy. I turn the toy over and open my hand again, trying to recapture the magic. It’s a bit shaky, but the toy leaves my hands and floats unsteadily upwards until it’s right in front of my face. “Awesome.”

A sharp bird twittering near my head breaks my focus and the cat toy falls into my lap. It _can’t_ be that early, I practically just got here! Something bright yellow flies in front of my face and I use the toy to bat it away in panic. It’s definitely some kind of morning bird, maybe a canary? In flashes, I can see it has a little black crest of feathers on its forehead…I’m honestly not much of a bird watcher, and I don’t particularly care to identify it right now. It keeps making noise and going for my face, but luckily it’s too small to do anything to me. Does it have a nest around here or something?

“Whoa, calm down, I’m leaving-!”

**_“SCREEEEECH!”_ **

In a whirlwind of claws and black leather wings, a bat torpedoes into the bird and away from my face. As it passes, I hear a young woman’s voice echo from an unknown direction. _Run!_

“Karin?” I gasp in disbelief. The two avian creatures are now battling in the sky in elaborate circles.

_There’s no time! He’s right behind you, you have to get out of here._

“Who?” I react slowly. I feel something climb the back of the play structure in seconds and land with a thump behind me. I very nearly turn to see who it is, but my feet push me off before the rest of my body can betray me. Unfortunately, I momentarily forget how high up I am and fall straight to the ground. Of course, it doesn’t hurt very much, but it leaves me prone.

I can hear grunts and screeching above me. Karin must have left the bird to distract our assailant. _There’s a bus coming, go catch it! I’ll be okay._

“R-Right!”

I stumble to my feet and break right into a sprint. I worry the bird will go after me again, but it seems to be as distracted as the attacker is by Karin. Sure enough, a bus is rolling up to a stop next to the park entrance. I don’t think I’ll make it in time but…the ground is speeding beneath me at an incredible rate. I think there are moments where neither of my feet touch the ground for several seconds. I’m not tired at all, or even out of breath. I reach the bus before the wheels even stop completely and I pound the door in panic.

It slides open. The driver is plainly annoyed. “Hey, no knocking the glass!”

“Sorry!” I yelp out of a painful mixture of obligation, fear, and guilt.

He narrows his eyes at me. I must look pretty freaked out, because he asks, “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, it’s fine,” I tell him abruptly, bus pass practically springing from my pocket to my hand. I only just now realize I managed to keep the cat toy with me through the chaos. “Just keep driving.”

I meet him in the eye and he halts whatever he was going to say next. He turns back to the wheel. “Whatever you say man.”

The bus jolts away before I’m even all the way inside. There aren’t many other passengers and they don’t react much to my frantic entrance. Either they’re too exhausted from the day to bother with me, or I’m really not the strangest entry the bus has had today. I’m inclined to believe the latter. I rush to the back window and see if I can spot anyone in the rapidly receding park. It’s very dark by now, but I find I can make out the shapes of the play structures with surprising clarity. Just as the bus makes it’s turn up the hill, I just make out a figure standing atop the structure I was just at. And the shape of two massive, dark wings stretching from his back.

When they’re out of sight, I sink into the bus seat as the adrenaline leaves my body. Did they see me? They must know I’m on the bus. Did Karin make it out okay?

I pull my phone out and send her a hasty text. _“u ok??”_

I stew in my anxiety for a few agonizing seconds before I hear a soft thump on the metal roof above me. No one else seems to notice, likely writing the noise off as a bump in the road or a branch or something. Then my phone buzzes.

_“I am up here. : )”_

I look again and I see Karin’s green eyes peaking at me upside-down from the bus roof, her long brown hair whipping in the wind behind her. Then in a blink, she’s gone again.

A bit more calmly, I type, _“you sure you’re going to be okay up there? what about that guy?”_

It takes a minute, but she eventually types back, _“I will be fine. We’re close to the school, and there aren’t many people on this road now. But I think he won’t attack us with all of these passengers around. Besides, I can always become a bat again. ^w^”_

I can’t help smiling at that in spite of my worry, her optimism is contagious. Was she trying to give her emoji fangs? _“alright, see you at the stop I guess ^^;”_

And only a few minutes later we pull up at the campus bus stop. I step off and find Karin nearby, having departed the bus roof without a single person noticing. We sit at the stop bench, making sure no one else is around to overhear us. I’m relieved to see her safe, but that only reminds of our close call with…what exactly?

“Who was that?” I ask, looking around for some sign of them just in case. “Another vampire?”

Karin shakes her head. “No, he smelled like a human. I think we have a monster hunter in the area. Maybe more.”

That’s…a possibility that hadn’t occurred to me, but it seemed more than plausible in this world of monsters. “I thought humans didn’t know about vampire and things. And that bird, did that have to do with him? Is it like, a werebird or?”

She looks uncomfortable. “Very few humans know our secret these days, and even fewer hunt us like that. Honestly, I hadn’t even considered the possibility. The bird though,” she furrowed her brow, “I have no idea. I was told that hunters of old used magic, but I don’t know much more than that.”

“Magic huh…” Cool, but now’s not the time. “How did he even find me? I haven’t even been a full vampire for a day…”

“I don’t think he’s looking for you.” Karin’s becoming more distracted by the minute, frowning and futzing with the hem of her skirt. “I wonder if I have been careless with my stay here… Regardless, I think his _familiar_ , or whatever it is, caught you practicing your powers. You should really be more careful.”

“Yeah, next time-” Then it hits me. “Wait, why were you in the park in the first place?”

She freezes, then turns away with obvious guilt.

“Were you watching me? Did you follow me?”

“I-I only wanted to make sure you were alright,” her voice comes out small. She can’t even look at me. “It’s your first night, and I felt it was dangerous for you to be alone but I didn’t say anything. But it was spying, you’re right to be angry.”

A sigh escapes me, and so does whatever annoyance I felt. I can’t exactly stay angry when she folds so easily, and honestly I don’t really want to. I really didn’t expect that Karin was so bad at dealing with confrontation. Hesitantly, I stretch an arm behind her and pull her a bit closer, gently enough so she knows she can push me away.

“It’s okay, I did sort of lie about where I would be. I know you were just looking out for me, and it ended up working out. Just um, ask next time?”

I don’t hear anything from her at first. I think she’s a bit taken aback by the sudden gesture. Just when I think maybe I overstepped some boundary, she leans into me a little more. “Okay. I’m sorry, I won’t follow you again without your permission.”

I wonder if it’s time to let go, but then I feel a hand on my knee. I set the toy cat down and take her hand in mine, and we sit there like that for a while longer. I lose track of how long exactly, but I don’t really mind. I guess she needed the contact more than I thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Pick of the Litter tag just got approved because of this, and that makes me so happy! I hope other people will get to share the tag with me someday (although I sort of doubt it, since the manga isn't very well known OTL ). But for now it's still just me I guess, lol...
> 
> Anyway, I'd like to thank Dragon_Shaman again for beta-ing MOST of this chapter...although I hope there were some surprises this time. X)
> 
> I had a feeling that I needed to up the ante soon, so I brought on a new character a little earlier than expected. I'm not sure where he will go yet, but I'm looking forward to finding out! Though if you've read the manga (and my tags), it should be pretty obvious who it is...


	3. Satisfaction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A mysterious assailant is on the loose, but there's no time to investigate. Now Riku will have to confront sinful part of his vampire nature. Will he come out of his first taste of blood untouched, or will he succumb to the blood-lust?

That night I stayed up late filling Emmett in on what happened over text. He berated himself over not being there to protect me, but of course none of us had any reason to think something like that would happen. On his insistence (and to my reluctance), we agreed to make a schedule that would allow us to keep an eye on each other, so we wouldn’t be caught alone if the hunter were to show up again.

In the meantime, my vampire practice was in full swing. Every evening after dinner, Karin and I (and occasionally Emmett) would return to the clearing to levitate rocks. I focused on capturing the feeling from before, what I could ironically describe as “uplifting”, and it came much more easily to me now that I knew what I was looking for. In two weeks, I could levitate rocks big enough to fit in my palm and move them in simple patterns with only a little focus, but anything bigger or more complicated than that would require my full attention. Karin suggested I could try lifting myself next, but as cool as that sounded I didn’t want to risk falling just yet.

I also took her advice and started looking up and practicing with meditation videos before bed, but my restless thoughts won’t let me stay still for very long. Maybe it was the new schedule, or the threat of some maniac after me, but it’s getting harder to sleep every night. My insomnia’s affecting my morning classes the worst, and I’m finding it difficult to stay awake or listen to anything. The sunlight makes me sleepy ever since my vampirism started, so now whenever a beam lands on me something in my brain takes it as a signal to nap in it like a cat. I suppose this effect is better than the alternative, but it’s almost impossible to keep up with my notes the way I used to.

The end of the month is approaching, and there’s still no sign of the hunter. It may be a bit premature, but I think we all find that relieving and start to relax our guard just a bit. Maybe he gave up. We don’t know how hunters usually operate, so he might’ve judged that we were out of his league. But that doesn’t stop the worry in the back of my mind that he might be planning something.

Karin’s in my room, and we’re both studying next to each other in silence. I’m finding it difficult to concentrate for some reason, low on energy in pure spite of the energy drink in my hand. I don’t even like them, but anything to get the sugar or electrolytes or whatever into my brain. Except, obviously, it’s not working as advertised. Why the hell am I still drinking it then. It’s not even keeping me quenched, and that’s the entire _point_ of it being a liquid.

Right, I should be focused on catching up in math. I’m not even sure what class Karin is studying for, but lately she seems to be cramming. She has my laptop that she asked to borrow, and she seems to be scrolling through endless pages and threads on Google while also turning through one of the many books she brought with her. They don’t look like anything I’ve ever seen in the library: many of them with their titles missing on both the front and the spine, classic leather binding, most of them old enough for her to handle the pages with caution and reverence. Maybe they’re from her personal collection. I sneak a peak at the yellowed pages. The one she’s looking at doesn’t appear to be in English, written by hand in ink. There’s a messy-looking illustration that I can’t make out. Whatever it is, she’s taking it pretty seriously, and I’m suspecting the reason isn’t academic.

Before I can really contemplate that further, the door to my dorm swings open with a light bang. There’s Emmett, and the moment his eyes find mine he slides down into a kneel at the other side of the coffee table in his excitement. “Okay so, I went ahead and asked the guys and you can come camping with us next weekend.”

Um. “I think you’re missing some context there, dude.”

He seems to realize that he didn’t make any sense, but he's still struggling to get out the relevant information in the right order. “Sorry! It’s the moon, man, the full moon’s happening next weekend! We need to test if you’re gonna go wolf or not.”

I glance at Karin, and she shares my skepticism. “And you want to bring me into the woods with your vulnerable friends during a full moon because…?”

“Oh, don’t worry about that, it’s just going to be my werewolf friends,” he drops casually. “We go to the woods every full moon to turn together, it’s totally safe. We know a place where there aren’t any regular people for miles, so it’s perfect for a first turn.”

“You have werewolf friends?” Karin voices for me. “I guess that’s not unusual, but I’m surprised you haven’t brought them up before.”

Emmett shrugs. “I’ve been busy with all this, guess it slipped my mind.”

“And you told them about me?” I don’t want to be annoyed, but my tone betrays me all the same.

“Yeah, sorry, it was kind of necessary. But I didn’t tell them about the vampire thing, just that we’re not entirely sure about the nature of your bite and want to test it.”

“Still, you should have asked,” I chide, but he does seem sincere. “I guess I don’t have much of a choice…it’s either this or risk turning in the dorms.”

Emmett shows his fangs, excited again. “Yeah, trust me it’ll be fun! We’ve done this many times, I guarantee it’s a much better experience than having to turn alone.”

The idea of turning into a wolf doesn’t sound like my definition of fun, but I have to admit he does make it sound appealing. “Y’know what, yeah. Sounds great.”

“Great!”

I try another sip of my energy drink, only to realize it’s empty. Maybe I should just switch back to water, stamina be damned. However, once I get to my feet my senses are overtaken by a wave of dizziness and I start to wobble. The only thing that stopped me from crashing into the table was…a strange invisible force holding me up. Karin grabs my arm and the force is gone, but now I see it must have been her telekinesis.

“Sorry Karin, I haven’t been getting good sleep-”

“You need a drink,” she interrupts sharply.

“You’re right,” I agree. “Just a glass of water and then bed.”

Karin turns me by the arm so I’m made to look her in the eye. “You need blood, Riku. And soon.”

My blood goes cold at that, and I feel faint.

“Karin he’s just tired, you heard him,” said Emmett, his too-upbeat voice betraying his uncertainty. “We can’t know any of this for certain.”

“It’s been about a month,” she replied. “I’ve been keeping a close eye on him and…well, it just seems to add up from what I’ve been reading.”

“I think she’s right,” I find myself admitting. Signs I’ve been filtering out subconsciously suddenly come into focus. The thumping I had assumed was my own heart…now I was sure I was hearing two others. I didn’t even notice it before Emmett had entered the room, but now I know I had been tuning it out.

Emmett seemed to believe that, or at least that I believed it. He stood up and held an arm out to me. “Okay, well, can’t we test it? I can be your guinea pig.”

“I- no.” I immediately look away, leaning into Karin for support. I don’t know if some dark instinct was creeping into my brain, or if I was just afraid of finding out. I’d been trying to avoid the thought altogether for a month. “I’m not going to bite you!”

Karin wrapped her other arm around me, and I’m briefly ashamed of how I’m acting. She tells me softly. “You won’t have to bite anyone, if I teach you how to do it.”

Letting me go, she looks at Emmett thoughtfully. “Normally I wouldn’t recommend it, but testing on you may be a good idea.”

Before we can ask, Karin sets me down on the couch and grabs a glass from the cupboard. Placing the glass between me and Emmett, she gestures for his arm. He complies hesitantly, and I feel like we both know where this is going. She takes his wrist and uses her nail to make a small, careful incision. Emmett barely even winces as the blood begins dribbling into the glass at a steady rate, but Karin scrunches up her nose at it. Just when the bottom of the glass is covered with a thin layer of blood, the flow slows and stops as Emmett’s cut knits itself back together before our eyes.

And then the smell hits me. There’s the scent of iron of course, but also of meat, like a rare steak. Even just a little is a bit overwhelming, and I notice there’s a strong sour tinge to it. Anything that made the smell appetizing is tainted by that unknown sourness, and that only makes me relieved, but it all reminds me of how thirsty I’ve gotten.

“Werewolf blood is toxic to vampires,” Karin explains. Continuing hurriedly before we can object, she says, “It’s only deadly if you drink a lot! But, even a little can make you sick to your stomach. If it does, we can only assume you’ve acquired the vampire diet. If not, if nothing happens then maybe I’m wrong and we’ll just have to wait and see. Or if Emmett’s blood satisfies your thirst, it could mean you’re immune to werewolf blood. Then you could use him from now on, which would be safer for all of us!”

“Somehow I doubt it’s that last one,” I reply, grimacing at the glass of blood.

She frowns. “Well you don’t have to go through with it if you don’t want to, but if not we’re going to have to hunt someone else down to feed you.”

What’s worse, drinking from someone I know or complete strangers? I think I have my answer. “I guess just in case…um, you don’t have any blood diseases you don’t know of, right?”

“Not that I know of,” said Emmett, squirming now. “Except maybe the lycanthropy?”

“Vampires are immune to all human blood-borne illnesses,” answers Karin confidently.

“That doesn’t exactly help when the usual rules don’t apply to me,” I add bitterly.

Oh well, no use trying to put it off any further. I grab the glass and stare at it, like my gaze can turn it into something else. No, I’m just going to psyche myself out at this rate! I squeeze my eyes shut and bring the glass to my lips, quickly tilting it back and letting a sip slip through before all my senses can reject it. The texture is less repulsive than I expected, but the taste makes me instantly regret everything. I know what my own blood tastes like (not by choice of course), but this is way worse. It tastes like something rotten.

Gagging, I push past Karin and rush to the bathroom. The energy drink is even more acidic coming back up. By the time I wash out my mouth and stumble back out, it’s far from the only thing I’ve lost.

Karin attempted to put it delicately. “That sounded like more than just a physiological reaction…”

I just nod weakly. I know what’s coming.

“Hopefully you’ll be ready to try the real thing tomorrow.”

* * *

 

I meet Karin at sunset the next day in front of the main campus building. We both wore dark, disposable clothes as she suggested, in case they got bloody. She smiled at me when I arrived, but I could tell her mind was intently focused on the task at hand.

“Is it really okay to do this here?” I asked, nervously eyeing the handful of people milling around in the waning light. I suspect Emmett’s blood awakened a whole new set of senses, and they made me keenly aware of everyone around me. In spite of my growing dizziness, the presence of other humans brought my mind out of the fog and kept me on edge. “Shouldn’t we at least wait until there are fewer…witnesses?”

“No need, the target I’ve picked for tonight should be easy to isolate,” she assured me, though her word choice was anything but reassuring. Karin’s eyes gleamed as she recited our game plan. “Remember, when we approach him focus on your thirst. Your desire will activate your seduction, which you should immediately direct at the target by looking him in the eyes. Don’t try looking at anyone else, you don’t have the experience yet. Then just act natural and follow my lead.”

“Right…” My nerves are becoming more frayed by the second, but sure. Natural. “Let’s just get this over with.”

Karin pushed through the door confidently and I followed a step behind her. I wondered what her target could be, but as we turned towards the café I knew with a fearful certainty who we were after.

The muffin guy and his coworker were closing the gate on the café when they noticed we were unambiguously heading their way. Muffin guy, unfortunately for the both of us, recognized me immediately. “Um, sorry guys, we’re closed!”

We all pretended not to notice that his voice was a few notes higher than it should have been. Being closer to another human than I had been all day, my senses were going into overdrive. I could practically hear the blood rushing in his veins, and the scent of raw meat from these two was intoxicating. Even the sweat from a day’s work only served as a seasoning. I could feel my muscles tense, and I knew if I slipped up I could lose control of my mind and body. Keeping that in mind I leaned into the blood-lust cautiously, training my gaze steadily on the muffin guy.

In that moment he goes from trying to avoid looking directly at me to an entranced stare, unable to look away. Out of the corner of my eye I see the coworker watching his reaction, but by her mild smirk it seems she’s misidentified the result of my hypnotic abilities as genuine puppy love.

Karin chooses this moment to step in, laying on the full force of her charisma. “Oh, no worries! We just wanted to catch up with you, Phil.”

I spy Phil’s name tag and instantly feel bad for never bothering to learn it. “Yeah, uh, after what happened last time I thought we should chat. Like, get to know each other better?”

Phil didn’t even respond to Karin, but after processing what I said he seemed a bit more energized by my words. “Uh, sure, love to! I’ll see you tomorrow, Stacy.”

The coworker, Stacy, gives him a wry smile as she leaves. “Alright, you guys have fun.”

Once she’s far enough away, Karin leans in with an ever-perky smile. “Riku, why don’t you ask our new friend to let us see the kitchen?”

The predatory intent I felt behind those words sent shivers down my spine, but Phil barely bothered to give her a puzzled look. I think he’s a lot more out of it than the first time I did this to him. The words come out hesitantly, but with surprising ease. “Yeah…can you let us in, Phil? We can talk more privately there.”

“…Sure.” It seems the bigger the request, the less himself Phil sounds. He slowly, methodically takes out his key and opens the gate for us. Most of the lights in the area are out, making the once familiar café eerie. Karin pulls the gate back down behind us, creating a shadowy cage with what sparse light remained. Maneuvering us behind the counter, Phil unlocks the door to the back room and leads us in. In this room it’s even darker, yet once my eyes adjust I can make out shapes and broader details with shocking clarity. Karin closes this door as well, making the space feel all too intimate.

Phil slowly looks around in confusion, like he’s trying to solve a puzzle with all the middle pieces missing. “What…what did you want from me again?”

Karin steps between us and closes the distance, tilting his chin so he looks deeper and deeper into her eyes. “Just a midnight snack. Please rest, we’ll take care of you.”

He closes his eyes and slumps a bit, but doesn’t fall over. Karin moves him like she would a large stuffed animal and props him against a shelf, gesturing for me to get in close and watch. I want to say my nerves held me back, but I was intrigued for reasons out of my grasp. I watched intently as she used a fingernail to slice open his neck with a surgeon’s precision.

“Why the neck?” I asked, like I cared about the answer. The first beads of crimson were in sight and my mouth watered. Emmett’s rotten blood couldn’t even compare to this smell, and an indescribable animal hunger welled up inside.

“There are two veins in the human body that carry enough blood to satisfy us,” she whispered, barely paying me lip service as she marveled her work. “The other one is in the thigh, and that vein is reserved for…other pleasures. Watch me carefully now.”

Karin leaned into Phil, using his shoulders as support as she parted her lips delicately and covered the open wound with her mouth without spilling a drop. Phil’s breathing quickened just a bit, as though on some level he knew the danger he was in. Karin’s breathing became labored too, clearly enjoying the meal. It only lasted a few dozen seconds at most, but watching that display and not getting to participate was torturous. My human worries were slipping away and I only cared about getting my own satisfaction.

Finally, after an agonizing moment Karin pulled away, looking somewhat disappointed but coherent.

“One human can’t support two vampires, so I only took a little.” She puts a hand on my shoulder, snapping me out of my reverie. “Do not bite him. Stop when I tell you.”

I nod, already distracted. A trail of blood is already creeping towards Phil’s collar, and I won’t let it go to waste. I lap at his neck messily with my tongue, not caring to remember Karin’s technique or how I look. The taste is spiritually fulfilling, as heartening as an oasis in a desert. I take his body into my embrace, digging my nails into his shirt. His body is invitingly warm, his quickening pulse plays a hypnotizing beat. I find the vein quickly and let my teeth rest dangerously close to his skin. Were my canines always this sharp? Blood fills my mouth at a steady pace and trickles down my throat, meeting a deep need I never really knew, _understood_ until now.

I lose myself, my mind drifting into foreign thoughts. The thought of sinking my fangs into his flesh was becoming more irresistible. The feel, the taste of it…how much more pleasure would I feel if I gave in? If I took him for everything he had. I felt I knew, with absolute certainty, he wouldn’t mind. I could feel his lust for me. I knew, beyond reason, that my bite could satisfy that lust. Being consumed, bite by bite, body and soul, is naturally the greatest pleasure prey can experience.

The only thing that kept me tethered in this powerful current of hunger was Karin’s words. Don’t bite, don’t bite, do not bite. Letting that mantra fill my head to quiet the monstrous thoughts, I couldn’t even hear the real Karin until she was yelling and yanking at my shoulder. Startled, I turned and snarled at her, but that was enough to snap me out of it. My head was clear, my thirst was quenched, and it was dawning how much blood was on me.

Karin pushed passed me and inspected Phil. With a look of fierce concentration, she moved her finger over the cut and it closed itself. Then she took a packet of baby wipes out of her purse and started cleaning my face roughly. “I know the first time can be intense, but you need to stop when I tell you to! Much longer and things would have gotten dangerous for Phil.”

I couldn’t say anything to her, still processing what had just happened. With some prompting, she got me to help move Phil to the bathroom so we could get him cleaned up. I was careless and got his clothes dirty, so we had to remove his shirt and scrub out all the blood before it could set. Then we found a table in one of the empty common areas and set him there. Karin assured me that his memory would be susceptible when he woke up, allowing his mind to fill in the missing events in a way he wouldn’t question. I only barely registered the information.

When we finally left the building, it was night and there was no one in sight. Emotions started coming back to me, and I couldn’t stop myself from shaking. “You didn’t tell me…it would be like that.”

“I’ll admit,” she said, “I’ve never seen another vampire’s first bloodletting before… I had heard the temptations are worse for those who weren’t raised vampires, but I wasn’t prepared for such a strong reaction.”

I whirled around to face her, losing my tenuous hold on my temper. My voice wavered, tears pricked my eyes and blurred my vision. “We- we took _advantage_ of Phil. I was so close to… I can’t believe I let you talk me into doing something so…so awful!”

Until now, Karin had looked concerned, but only now did she seem to grasp just how much this had affected me. “Riku, this is something that had to be done. If not Phil, than someone else. I wasn’t going to let you starve. You…you aren’t thinking of starving yourself, are you?”

“I don’t know, maybe!” I raised my arms to the sky and let them fall as an empty gesture of frustration, my voice cracking. “I-I don’t want to die. I don’t want to die, but right now I think I would rather die than do that again. I don’t want to feel that… _inhuman_ again.”

Karin’s calm, rational façade started to crack. She became flustered. “Just, look at it realistically, Riku! We need to drink blood to survive. Everything has to take to live in this world. When you ate meat as a human, did you cry for the rabbit? What we did tonight was more humane than any human slaughter house!”

I couldn’t understand. How could she look at it so coldly? “Karin, you can’t pretend this is the same as a rabbit! This is a human, one of our own. You were human once too…weren’t you?”

She takes a step back. “I…I was human a long time ago.”

The words keep spilling. “Do vampires really think like that?”

“Please Riku, I’m really trying to understand how you-”

“Are humans really just food to you?”

The silence hung in the air like a wire ready to snap and send us both to the unforgiving ground. But to my own horror, I got everything I needed from her face. Looking into her fearful, but unflinching eyes, I understood that I had struck something too close to the truth. No matter how much she tried to empathize, Karin’s experience with humanity was just too alien to comprehend my fears.

Unable to keep looking into those eyes that revealed too much, I turned my back to her and started walking. I could hear her plainly crying as she shouted after me, “I’m sorry, Riku! I’m sorry, I tried my best to understand, really. Riku please, don’t leave like this!”

Deep down, I desperately wanted to force my legs to turn around so I could hug her and tell her I didn’t mean it. I really didn’t, and every step I took made me sink even lower into my regret than the last. Logically I knew that it didn’t matter the way my mind made it out to be, that Karin was a kind person who worked every day to keep herself from hurting anyone, in spite of her upbringing.

But I also knew that if I turned around right then, my outrage, disgust, and self-loathing would keep me from fully forgiving her like she deserved, and would only hurt her even more. Right then I was too overcome with emotion, and an understanding of our natures I never wanted to confront, to process it all properly.

So I kept walking, even as my sensitive hearing picked up every heartbreaking sob until I reached the dorm building.

* * *

 

My eyes blurred with tears as I shouted after him, but by the time I blinked them away Riku had already disappeared into the night. Shouldn’t I have followed after him? But the look he gave me…the pain in chest would only grow if I saw it again. I must have been a shameful sight, bawling out in the open like a child. How could I have been so foolish to think the gap between humans and vampires could be so easy to bridge? I should have been able to see how much pain he was in confronting this darker part of himself, but instead I ended up showing that part of myself too soon.

A bright jingle from my pocket broke me out of my self-pitying thoughts. My hand shook as I quickly fished my phone out and flipped it open. Was Riku already…?

To my disappointment, the name KUROTA lit up my phone screen. Taking a moment to rub the tears from my eyes and compose myself, I opened the message.

 

_“Lady Karin,_

_I’ve arranged an opportunity for you. Meet me in the lobby of the main building at 8:30 a.m. Wear something appropriate. The forecast calls for cloudless skies._

_-Kurota”_

 

I let the words burn into my memory and close the phone with a sharp snap. Riku would have to wait. I return to my room and let my preparations distract me from my problems.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another scene that sort of came up as yet another placeholder between this and the next chapter, which is kind of silly considering how crucial the subject matter is! I'm not sure I was able to give it all the thought it deserved, but I hope this dose of drama will be enough to tide you over. ^^
> 
> [ EDIT: I realized just after writing the last scene you see here, it should have been placed before the scene I had initially ended this chapter on, so I exchanged them! The scene that was here before the edit will instead open the next chapter.
> 
> Also, in the last scene I've changed the narrating character from Riku to Karin, so please let me know if there's anything I can do to make the changing POV less jarring or confusing. I know a lot of fanfics put something like "Character1's POV" at the beginning of new scenes, but I'd like to avoid doing that if at all possible. Thanks in advance!! ]

**Author's Note:**

> I'm out of the fanfiction game for like a decade or so only to find that Pick of the Litter still doesn't have a fandom? I cannot let this stand, I will build this fandom up BY MYSELF if I have to!
> 
> ...So, take this sort-of-kind-of self-insert fic, I suppose (Emmett isn't really much of an insert anymore, long story). ^^;
> 
> I wrote this kind of on a whim, because I was getting nostalgic not only for the old manga, but for my time in middle/high school when I would write stuff between Riku and Emmett all the time. I don't think I still feel the same way I did then, but I still have a lot of love for this series and pairing (as silly as it is). Adding Karin to the mix is a bit of a challenge, but she really brings a new dynamic to my old OTP, and I hope you guys enjoy my interpretation of her!
> 
> I do hope that the OC doesn't get in the way of your enjoyment, if you're a fan desperate for content on this series (but there are other stories I want to make without Emmett, so please look out for them). I hope non-fans read this too, and I IMPLORE you to check out the original manga too if you can find it!
> 
> Aaaaannd, shoutout to Dragon_Shaman and a couple of other friends for beta-ing this, and for encouraging me ^^


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